Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Robert James Nuzzello Jr - Table & Chair

Many people who make art would posit that the function of an artist is to follow their muse and use their curiosity to explore. Robert James Nuzzello Jr. does quite a bit of that on this album without ever losing sight of the tastes and styles he is known to display.

Warm hazy opener "$500" is a contemplative meditation with stylish drum samples and odd multitracked vocals. Lovely reverb drenched piano leads the song steadily as the many RJNJr's croon. "Bloody Fingers" is sparse with very light ukelele or classical acoustic and more gang crooning, this time the vibe feels a little more like a combination of Fake Babies and Elison Jackson. All in all the pleasant and enjoyable listen.

"One Of The Best Of Them" takes that combination a step further with a reverberated and solemn blues vibe. Dreamy slide guitar, bass and drums take this traditional sounding song up into that introspective place so often inhabited by Elison Jackson.

"Carriage House" has a whole lot of Fake Babies flavor. Sass all over the vocals and guitar, with a steady unrelenting beat. "Stay" has a lot in common with the folk stylings and sensibilities of so many CT artists. Haunting and poppy, its a definite toe tapper.

Super weird fuzz pop "Lately" is absolutely a hard left turn, but that's the kind of thing you do when you are exploring. This song's shrill distortion and deep bass groove are, in my opinion, a successful experiment.

Closer "1:04pm 8lbs 10oz" is another haunting piece of folk. Jangly and moody this is extremely reminiscent of elements of the softer side of Florida=Death. Dark and moody this song quietly takes this set of songs to a close.